1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to an auto-play apparatus for automatically playing an arpeggio in response to key operation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional electronic musical instruments such as an electronic piano, electronic keyboard, synthesizer, and the like can be played by operating keys on a keyboard unit. During the play, the tone colors, volumes, effects, and the like of tones produced by the electronic musical instrument are controlled in accordance with preset tone parameter data.
That is, when a player operates keys on the keyboard unit, corresponding tone waveform data are read out from a waveform data memory on the basis of key data representing the key operation states, and tone parameter data including the tone colors, volumes, effects, and the like set by operation members on a control panel unit. The readout tone waveform data are modified to produce desired tones.
Some of such electronic musical instruments comprise an automatic arpeggio play apparatus (arpeggiator). An arpeggio is a broken chord, notes of which are arranged in a broken pattern, and also means technique of such performance. For example, when C, E, and G keys are simultaneously pressed on the keyboard, the arpeggiator controls the play to produce the corresponding tones in turn one by one like C, E, G, C, E, G, . . . while the keys are kept pressed.
Normally, the arpeggiator has some play patterns such as an up pattern (C, E,G, C, E, G, . . . ), a down pattern (G, E, C, G, E, C, . . . ), a random pattern, and the like, and can also control the range, speed, and the like. The arpeggio pattern data are programmed as preset data, and the arpeggio play is controlled by reading out the preset data in correspondence with ON key events and supplying the readout data to a tone generation circuit.
However, the conventional arpeggiator can only play a basic, monophonic arpeggio that produces only one tone at one time. For this reason, although two tones composing a chord are often produced simultaneously in actual arpeggio performance, the conventional arpeggiator cannot play such arpeggio. Furthermore, the conventional arpeggiator cannot simultaneously produce tones corresponding to ON keys.
Moreover, since tones are switched by turning on/off notes, if a tone whose tone color changes in a single pitch is to be obtained, the generated tones sound discontinuous due to the note ON/OFF sequence.
The conventional arpeggiator does not allow the user to edit the pattern data prepared as preset data, and does not allow the user to create his or her desired arpeggio patterns.